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Sunday, 7 June 2015

GOVT HAS TOTAL CONTROL OF TV NEWS

Censorship at Swazi TV is
so tight that every month the Swaziland Government issues directives to the
station about what events it should cover.

And, the Government has
also banned ordinary members of parliament from appearing on the news
programmes of Swazi TV.

This was revealed in a
report tabled at the Swaziland Parliament.

Bongani
‘Sgcokosiyancinca’ Dlamini, the Chief Executive of Swazi TV said the instructions
had been given to the TV station in advance of the 2013 national elections by
then Minister of Information, Communication and Technology Winnie
Magagula.

His revelation was
contained in a report tabled by Hhukwini MP Saladin Magagula, chairperson of
the House of Assembly select committee investigating the media ban imposed on
MPs on state-owned media.

According to a report in
the Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by absolute monarch
King Mswati III, Dlamini said, ‘It was communicated to the station that any
activity outside of government’s calendar cannot be featured as news and that
government’s calendar is sent monthly by the press officer in Cabinet and it is
normally updated in between.’

Dlamini also said there
was a ban on MPs appearing on the news and this ban had not been lifted.

He said the ban had meant
to stop MPs appearing on TV during the run-up to the September 2013 national
election. In Swaziland, political parties are banned from taking part in
elections and all candidates stand as individuals. The ban was not lifted after
the election.

Dlamini reportedly said
that under the circumstance there was very little that they could do.

Censorship of radio and television in Swaziland is
not new. In August 2014 Minister
of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Dumisani
Ndlangamandla said the Swaziland Government would not let up on its control of state
radio,He said state media existed primarily to serve the interests of the state.

In August 2012 the government announced that in
advance of the national election in September 2013 radio
would be banned from broadcasting news and information
that did not support the government’s own agenda.

All radio in the kingdom, except one Christian
station that does not broadcast news, is state-controlled.

New guidelines also
barred ‘public service announcements’ unless they were ‘in line with government
policy’ or had been authorised ‘by the chiefs through the regional
administrators’ or deputy prime minister’s office’.

The guidelines said the radio stations could not be
‘used for purposes of campaigning by individuals or groups, or to advance an
agenda for political, financial popularity gains for individuals or
groups’.

There is a long history of censorship on state
broadcasting in Swaziland. Strikes and anti-government demonstrations are
usually ignored by broadcasters. Sometimes live radio programmes are censored
on air. In July 2011, the plug was pulled on a phone-in programme when
listeners started criticising the government for its handling of the economy.
Percy Simelane, who was then the boss of SBIS, and went on to become the
government’s official spokesperson, personally
stormed the radio studio and cut the programme.

In April 2011, Welile Dlamini, a long-time news
editor at SBIS,
challenged the Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini at
an editors’ forum meeting on why the state radio station was told by the
government what and what not to broadcast. Welile Dlamini said that at the
station they were instructed to spike certain stories such as those about
demonstrations by progressives and strike action by workers. The PM responded
by saying editors should resign if they were not happy with the editorial
policies they are expected to work with.

In March 2011, SBIS stopped
broadcasting the BBC World Service Focus on Africa
programme after it carried reports critical of King Mswati
III.
In the same month, SBIS failed
to cover the march by nurses that forced the Swazi
Government into paying them overdue allowances.

In 2010, Swazi police told SBIS it must stop
allowing people to broadcast information about future meetings unless
the police had given permission. Jerome Dlamini, Deputy
Director of the SBIS saidthis
was to stop the radio station airing an announcement for a meeting that was
prohibited.

He said, ‘It’s the station’s policy not to make
announcements without police permission.’

In 2006, the minister for public service and
information, Themba Msibi, warned the Swazi broadcasters against criticising
the King.

MISA reported at the
time, ‘The minister’s threats followed a live radio
programme of news and current affairs in which a human rights lawyer criticised
the King’s sweeping constitutional powers.’

Human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko, had been asked
to comment on a visit by an African Union (AU) human rights team which was on a
fact-finding mission to Swaziland.

‘In response, Maseko said that, as human rights activists, they had concerns
about the King’s sweeping constitutional powers and the fact that he the King
was wrongfully placed above the Constitution. He said they were going to bring
this and other human rights violations to the attention of the AU
delegation.

‘Not pleased with the broadcast, the government was
quick to respond. Msibi spoke on air the following day to sternly warn the media
against criticising the King. He said the media should exercise respect and
avoid issues that seek to question the King or his powers.

‘The minister said his message was not directed only
to radio but to all media, both private and government-owned. He said that in
government they had noticed that there was growing trend in the media to
criticise the King when he should be above criticism and public scrutiny,’ MISA
reported.